My favorite course played in 2024? The one where I played for a WWE belt

At GOLF.com, travel — and playing golf — is a part of the gig. Here, as we count down the final days of 2024, is a look at some of the favorite courses our staffers played over the past 12 months.

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Ethan brought a WWE championship belt. He took it out of his backpack, and, over beers, we toasted. 

Our Chippo game now had its green jacket, its Wannamaker, its claret jug. 

But who would win it?

Maybe Ethan. You likely have an Ethan. And a Matt. And a Matt. And a Todd. They’re my summer golf-trip fivesome, all either grade school, high school or college friends. Since the mid-90s, we’ve been doing our expedition in some form in Wisconsin, our home, though for the past three years, we’ve driven up to Green Lake, in the center of the state, to spend a quartet of days or so and play a quartet of courses — Lawsonia Links (which you can read about here), Lawsonia Woodlands (don’t forget to look for the home of the Culver’s owner), Mascoutin (which you can read about here) and Tuscumbia. 

The latter you will now read about here, as the wonderful GOLF.com staff shares words on their “favorite courses played in 2024.” Tuscumbia is a classic, Midwest woodlands track. Has a sweet log clubhouse, too.

And is home to Chippo. 

What’s Chippo? You likely have a Chippo, a game that you concoct after the golf of the golf trip. Maybe it involves cards. Maybe darts. Whatever. But it has competitive value. You must win. You must hold text-chain bragging rights until the next year’s trip. Our Chippo formed on our first trip to Green Lake, when we discovered that our rental home was about a par-5 away from the edge of Tuscumbia — and a green. Let’s walk over at dusk, we thought. Bring one club, one ball, however many drinks. Pick wherever you want around the short grass, closest to the pin wins a point. We play until we can’t see. I won year one. Ethan won year two. Serious stuff now. So we needed a trophy. 

Enter the belt. Ethan had bought a toy WWE title, then affixed the words “World Chippo” above the word “Champion” already written on it. Oh, hell yeah, to quote Stone Cold Steve Austin. 

But who would win it?

Travel

Year three was heated. There were shots hit from around the green. There were shots hit from 50 yards out. But those were easy. We also hit over trees. And over port-a-potties. And from across the street. (Don’t worry, we were careful.)

All of which, collectively, I played the best. Yes, four months later, in the middle of December, I’m both writing this story — looking down at my belt. 

So cheers to golf trips. 

And cheers to your version of Chippo. And your version of a WWE championship belt. 

And cheers to your course that turns a blind eye to letting you and longtime friends play your Chippo and win your WWE championship belt. Tuscumbia will forever be a favorite for this reason. 

I also can’t wait to defend.